The Bleeding Skull Tree
Ok, so here goes my bleeding skull tree story. Many years ago, roughly 18 years, a rumbling of a haunted home near our town was causing some commotion among the youth, mainly with whom I would run around with. The story was vague, but somehow enticing. The three main components of the story that were consistent including dead animals, a murder/suicide, and a very odd shaped tree. The story would vary a little, but not by much. The legend goes that a few years back, unknown as the exact timeline, but within my lifetime, a large, white, two story country home was purchased by a couple in a remote part or our county. This was a typical rural Indiana home that a lot of couples would seek. It was older but large with lots of acreages, a couple barns, plenty of trees, and farm land completely surrounding the home. The couple lived there for some time, running the farm, and just living life. Now this is where the story gets kind of vague. It was said that the husband came home and for some unknown reason went completely berserk. We always thought that it had to do with infidelity between them. Anyways, when he went berserk he slaughtered his whole family, including his two children with a kitchen knife. Last minute he decided to torch the house and then decided it was his time die. He proceeded to get the rope from the barn, hope in his truck and head down the road. At the end of his drive was a large tree. He hooked the rope to the tree and then to his neck. He hopped into his truck and floored it - completely severing his head from his body when the rope came to an end. Now I don’t know if this is true as I have never heard of this happening on the news, but apparently it was supposedly covered up as the home was known for it “characteristics.” Now fast forward from then to when I was 14 years old and hearing this story. I originally heard it from my older brother and his friends, who were already driving by the time this story made an appearance. A few months pass, and on some random day after school I caught wind that someone had found the home! Come to find out it was my brother and his friends! Fuck yea! I can now see this haunted house! . The following weekend I overheard they wanted to go back to the house. Seeing as I never had been there, I pried my way into the vehicle and we were on our way. We left at dawn, and it began to cloud up really quick. The closer we got, the more fog appeared. Driving for what seemed like forever, we make a left on an old country road and I hear “there it is!” I practically jump up into the front seat to see what it is. At first sight I see this medium sized tree in the distance, nothing spectacular. But as we got closer –BOOM- a crack of lighting lite up the sky and I see it! The tree branches and leaves were in the shape or a skull with a pointy chin. Eye and all. You could clearly see a drop of blood form on the chin. Very distinct. “Holy Shit,” I thought. As I was being there we just turned in the drive, backed up, and left. I assume they didn’t want to get me involved with the supernatural as I was the little brother and all. I was so disappointed, but I was able to get a glimpse of the house - Run down, scorched, white, broken windows and all. This was my first experience with “the house.” A few weeks later, my best friend got his license. We knew exactly what we need to do. Go to the house! That next Saturday night, I was able to locate the house from my memory. We get there, pull in the drive and just sit looking at the run down, old, haunted house. Just then a white cat jumps from the brush and takes or running. We didn’t know at the time but the white themed animals would be a reoccurring sight many times. Over the next few weeks we visit the driveway of the house, too scared to go all the way up. Each time a white cat or a solid white rabbit would appear. During these sporadic visits we were making, we would hear more tales of the home from my brother and his friends. Each time they would go they would come back with more details. Dead animals in front of all the doors of the house, and barn. Window obscuring the view with in the home, lights from upstairs. All kinds of freaky shit. The best one I remember was when my brother and his friends decided to enter the home. They said that children’s toys were scattered all throughout the house untouched by fire. Even though the outside was sporadically scorched black. Even one of the guys went upstairs. Nothing but perfect, flawless furniture. As if someone was living there. The funny thing is that no one was able to make it upstairs. The stairs were none existent. The guy who went up swears he went directly up the stairs. It was then that we all realized that the house was able to distort reality for whomever laid eyes upon it. I then thought ‘What would I experience?’ The last time we went back, we decided that it was time to go up to the house. We did. And that was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. As always the white animals were scattering as we drove up the drive. When we got the end of the drive, we parked. We intended to go inside, but when we opened the doors we were hit with a stench of death. That smell in very distinguished! You know what it is as soon as you smell it. This was the first warning sign. We were able to power through it and just step outside the vehicle. Just then we noticed that random animals were dead directly in front or every visible door. Even the barn, which was just roughly 20 feet away from the house. Warning number two. As we scour the landscape we notice something moving inside. Just a shape, not a person, not an animal, nothing that we have ever seen. After a few seconds, the wind picks up, and the branches from the trees start to move in front of every window at the same time. Top, bottom, sides, and all. How is that possible? Warning number three. We look at each other, “nope.” Fuck it. Were out! This was the last visit. But definitely not the last weird shit I’ve experienced. This was just one of many stories of the “house” of north eastern Indiana. The house has since been torn down and the tree removed. I’ve tried to obtain history of the house, but no record exist.